Greg Blache disliked and discontinued Gregg Williams’ bounty program

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 4, 2012, 12:23 PM EDT

The man who succeeded Gregg Williams as the Redskins’ defensive coordinator reportedly didn’t like the bounty program that Williams instituted and made it clear to his players that it needed to come to an end.

Greg Blache arrived as defensive line coach in Washington in 2004, the same year Williams arrived as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. When Williams left the Redskins after the 2007 season, Blache was promoted to defensive coordinator. And Mike Wise of the Washington Post reports that Blache immediately ended the system of bounties that had been part of the defense during Williams’ four years running things.

According to the report, two players have said this weekend that Blache did not approve of bounties and made that clear to several players.

For his part, Blache, who is now retired from coaching, told the Washington Post, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Although it’s admirable that Blache discontinued the bounties once he took over the defense, he apparently didn’t do anything about it — like tell head coach Joe Gibbs — while he was an assistant under Williams. Gibbs says he knew nothing about any bounties, and the Post reports that other players back that up.

And that may be how Williams was doing this undetected for so long: Some people who knew about it were eager participants, and those who disapproved said nothing.

Lets just put this out there before it even begins…
There is no comparison to what Joe Gibbs did compared to what Joe Paterno did, plain and simple. Do I question if Joe Gibbs really didn’t know… yes but to compare a bounty system on men amongst men who are wearing protective padding and child molestation against young innocent children would be beyond ridiculous.

Sounds to me like the main point of responsibility for these schemes is pretty clear. You can’t possibly identify everyone involved, but we all know who the main guy is, and hopefully he will deservedly receive the brunt of the punishment for this.

Also- it’s not reasonable to expect Blache to rat out his boss. It’s easy to say from the outside, but these assistants hold on to their jobs by the thinnest of threads as it is, it’s not fair to expect them to take that risk.

As far as I am concerned, as soon as he felt he was in a position to do something about it, he did.

This has officially gotten out of control. If bounties come as a surprise than your head has been buried in the sand. There has been plenty of bounty situations for years. Heck Buddy Ryan relished the idea.

I Love the bounty system. Just don’t reward hits that are penalized.
Derod Cherry said on WKNR /Cleveland yesterday that some guys loved bounty money more then their game checks. How cool.
I have NO problem with this.
Whatever it takes.
bounty $ may be better then roids!

So now we know that Gregg Williams has been doing this everywhere he’s been in the NFL.

Here’s what I don’t get: This bounty system is actually counterproductive to winning football games!

When I was watching the NFC Championship game there was an instance where one of the Saints defenders clearly went after Favre way after he got rid of the ball. The result was a 15 yard penalty which helped the Vikings a lot, because they scored a touchdown on that drive!

This bounty system actually cost the Saints quite a few penalties if I recall correctly. Therefore, even from the standpoint of trying to be “tough” and “intimidating” it just doesn’t work at all.

Jeff Fisher worked with Gregg Williams in Tennessee. The two were supposedly very close and Fisher couldn’t wait to take him to St. Louis with him.

Are we supposed to believe that Fisher had no idea that apparently Williams liked to take these bounty systems with him wherever he went?”

I’ll give you something else: Fisher worked with the league last year before taking the Rams job, during the time of the investigation. Think he knew this was going to happen at some point, yet still hired him?

Joe Gibbs has been a classic enabler while getting a media “pass”. First the stashing of healthy players, looking the other way to steroid and cocaine abuse, and now thisToo bad he can’t be booted frpm the Hall!

Don’t forget the bragging rights and “tallied scores” aspect to this that you have to believe was happening on Williams teams with his players. The $ doesn’t matter as much as the competition among the willing Bounty motivated teammates – they probably had a running tally of who had the most “reward” money throughout the year.
Just another way to smack talk in and amongst your own teammates and jack each other up in the course of a season, game, quarter or even in a defensive series.
Just watched a video of NFC championship; Saints v Vikings. You could make an argument that without all of the borderline, blatant, late and low hits on Brett, the Vikings may have won that game.
Favre was releasing early and look more and more flustered/nervous as the game went on; PART of that is due to the NO schemes and great pass rush, but certainly some of it came from the extra-curricular activities by Saints defenders

It is absolutely ridiculous and naive to think that this hasn’t been going on with multiple coaches for many,many years. GW is the current scapegoat, but I think we will find it rampant throughout the league as this progresses. It’s time to learn and move on.

the more and more stuff that is coming out about who on the Redskins knew about this …the more Joe Gibbs is looking like a fool or/and a liar ….cause I ain’t buying it , He knows everything that goes on within this team at the time …..you clown Skins fans make him a Saint ( no pun !!!)

If we give Blache the benefit of the doubt and he really didn’t know about the bounty system before being elevated to coordinator – he still didn’t report it. What kind of trouble could he be in for that?

Saints fans just want it to go away. No big deal everyone is doing it.

Sounds like something familiar that was said by many long time NFL HC’s back in 2007 but then again it was the Patriots, the Evil Empire.

Get ready and enjoy it Saints fans because your franchise is going to be muddied, trashed and called every name in the book on top and experiencing the worst penalities,fines and suspensions that has ever occured before in NFL history.

This is going to get much worse next week as every media news outlet will be banging the drum for the next month until Goodell hands out his punishment.

Who was the blockhead that said “Joe Gibbs coming back to the NFL was an epic fail” He did mamnage to get his team in the 2nd round of the playoffs in the 2005 season therefore its not really an epic fail!!!!

The saints and gregg Williams are about to get HAMMERED by the long arm of the NFL law. Goodell has been out of control with some of his rules and punishments, but I’m actually excited to see what kind of pain he brings for these punks!

If the Defense is going to play “Bounty” type games, I say reinstitute crack back blocks, High and low blocking on Dlineman, clipping and blocking from behind. Gotta give the Offense some love and a fighting chance to collect some $$$ to enjoy the game too!

This could potentially impact every team that Gregg Williams coached during the salary cap era. In addition to the pay to injure implications, do not forget about the salary cap ramifications. The NFL took draft picks away from the 49ers even though Carmen Policy no longer worked there for circumventing the salary cap.

So, anything happen in the league over the past couple of days that adversely affected the fans of the purple whiners and the horned helmet wearing creator of this great second hand, day old news site? Too bad we can’t add our own news headlines, it would sure improve it when tidbits like this are blown out of proportion, exasperatingly overcovered and incessantly whined about daily. It makes me happy to know that this site’s “days in the sun” are on borrowed time until the next big thing comes along and topples it’s popularity. As for this “bounty” thing, get over it and move on. Perhaps a suggestion to modify the name from Pro Football Talk to Pro Football Petulants.

stevenfbrackett says:
Mar 4, 2012 1:57 PM
If we give Blache the benefit of the doubt and he really didn’t know about the bounty system before being elevated to coordinator – he still didn’t report it. What kind of trouble could he be in for that?
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Um….what?

The article says that he did know about it before being elevated and immediately brought it to a halt when he became coordinator.

They shouldn’t punish the Saints or the Redskins because its all different people there now than at the time it ALLEGEDLY happened (heheheh)….sorry, Gregg, you’re out to sea all alone on this one. Thanks for taking the hit, the check is in the mail!